03/22/11

If you have a blog on your site then you are well aware of the importance of keeping it regularly updated with fresh new content, but the big question (especially for smaller businesses that don’t have the resources available) is how can you afford to dedicate the time required to do this?

Simple answer – Allow authors to write a guest post for you.

Known as “Guest Blogging” this can be a win-win situation for both you (the owner of the blog) and the guest author. You’ll get a piece of free and exclusive content for your site, and the author gets their name out into the blogsphere with a link back to their site. Don’t deny the authors a link back to their site – you’ll be taking away their incentive to write for you if you do.

How to find guest bloggers for your site

http://myblogguest.com/ – This service allows both blog owners and authors alike to cut through the chaff of the internet by allowing both to meet through a dedicated service for guest blogging opportunities.

Twitter.com – Hopefully you’ll have been doing some Social Marketing and now have a healthy supply of followers, so announce the fact that you’re giving the opportunity for people to publish guest posts on your site and for them to get in touch.

Write a “Become a guest author” page on your site with a list of subjects you’ll be interested in receiving submissions for, and what the author will get in return. You don’t necessarily need a large subscriber base to your blog for this to be useful, those looking for guest blogging opportunities could find the page in Google.

Ask us! We have contacts to a number of copywriters with their own blogs so they may be interested in appearing as guest author on your site. Let us know and we’ll put it forward to them.

Things to keep in mind

Don’t always assume that you’re going to get exclusive content on your site because the guest author may have approached a number of other blog owners as well as yourself. Due to this, the content that you get may be duplicate content to that posted somewhere else – always check before you publish.

http://www.copyscape.com/ – use this free tool check any content you get to make sure that it hasn’t been posted anywhere else, and for a more in depth check to the originality there is also a premium version available. Probably the best way to explain their service is by showing there video (important bit for receiving content is from 1:27)…

02/05/10

We are now able to offer our Web Design services more easily than ever before to the people of Newark due to our office location based in Fulbeck. Getting here is easy, we’re now just a 10 minute drive away from Newark along the A17 so it is no longer necessary to travel to either Nottingham or Lincoln to get your website built by a professional agency.

Do we only do Web Design?

No we don’t. We can work with you from the ground up in the development of your online business; we can take you from the original design concept, build the site, and then on to promoting your business through Google Adwords advertising (PPC) or through other online marketing strategies.

What about surrounding villages?

Of course, we’re not just targeting ourselves just at Newark; if you’re in the surrounding area then no problem – we can build your website, run your PPC campaigns and still be close enough to keep in regular contact with you.

What type of websites do you build?

Absolutely anything you want and whatever your budget, we’ll have something to match your needs. If you just want a static website with just a couple of pages then that’s fine, we can help. If you’re after a full blown eCommerce site with full content management capability, then we can sit down with you and go through everything you need for us to build a system bespoke to you. See either our portfolio, or our Web Design in Newark page for more information.

How do we get to you?

Easy, either pop NG32 7LD into your sat-nav, or if you’re travelling from Newark town center head towards the A17. You can get to it by either heading up New Beacon Hill through Coddington or crossing over the A1 at the McDonald’s roundabout, and take the A17 signposted to Sleaford. Travel along the A17 for 6 miles, and then take the left turn signposted A607 Fulbeck. At the traffic lights in Leadenham, turn right and the next village along is Fulbeck. About 200 yds after the Hare and Hounds pub (at the bottom of a dip), turn right onto Washdyke Lane. Thats it! You’ve found us!

If you’ve any questions about any other web design services we can offer you in Newark, feel free to get in contact.

07/29/09

Today Microsoft and Yahoo! announced that they have (finally) completed a 10-year search deal which will help them be more competitive against the giant that is Google. However, they haven’t combined their advertising businesses.

Microsoft Yahoo Partnership

Yahoo! currently has about 20 percent of the global search market, with Microsoft hanging behind with just under 10 percent which leaves Google with the lion’s share of the remaining 70 percent. Many have estimated that Google will begin to lose market share to Microsoft’s Bing as it gains popularity through its visual superiority over Google, however other have argued that if this becomes the case then Google will just match Bing’s template ideas. They have still yet to prove if they do what they do better than Google, all they have shown us so far is that they do it prettier.

The question that now needs answering is what will happen to the search as a result of this partnership? Well, according to Reuters, under the deal announced on Wednesday, Microsoft’s Bing search engine will be the exclusive algorithmic search and paid search technology for Yahoo’s sites, while Yahoo will be responsible for selling premium search ads for both companies.”

So how long has this engagement taken to come to its happy ending?

01/02/2008 – Microsoft makes an offer out of the blue to buy Yahoo for $44.6 billion or $31 a share, after two years of rumours of a merger

19/02/2008 – Bill Gates announces that they’re not interested in raising the offer for the buyout. Yahoo! releases severance plan details that would take effect after the deal and make it more expensive for Microsoft

05/03/2008 – Yahoo! announce and extend deadline for nominating candidates to its board, effectively buying time to come up with an alternative proposal. Rumours emerge that Yahoo are in talks with Google, MySpace and AOL

05/04/2008 – Microsoft’s CEO Steve Ballmer gets aggressive and gives Yahoo! a deadline of three weeks to accept the deal on the table or expect Microsoft to start hostile tactics and lower the offer price

09/04/2008 – Yahoo! announces it’ll have a trial run of using Google’s ad platform in place of its own for a bit – Microsoft raise antitrust concerns

26/04/2008 – Microsoft’s three week deadline expires

01/05/2008 – Ballmer announces to its employees that he “won’t go a dime above” what he thinks Yahoo! is worth and is willing to walk away from the deal

10/04/2009 – New reports emerge that Bartz and Ballmer have met about possible deals, including one in which Microsoft would sell advertising on Yahoo’s search pages and Yahoo would manage Microsoft’s display ads.

03/06/2009 – Microsoft dumps Live Search and replaces it with Bing

29/07/2009 – Microsoft, Yahoo! partnership announced

Now we wonder, is this going to be a marriage made in heaven – or can we expect to see the divorce papers come through shortly?